Mongolia
"Most common religions in Mongolia are Mahāyāna Buddhism and Shamanism, other four percents of inhabitants are Muslims. This is why we consider this place the land of meditation and true spiritual inspiration. There is barely any other place on Earth that has preserved such a naturalism and beauty of wilderness. Noise of modern civilization has not reached yet large steppes of Mongolia, and herds of wild animals do not have memorized the sound of hunting Jeep engines." (Andis Pikans)
Our travelers will enter Mongolia from the Mountain Altay side, so they can also visit one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. The first part of the trip through the full of stones Mongolian wilderness with its eternal mountains at the horizon will pass along Mongol Altay and Gobi Altay mountains. And this is a mere beginning: further road is supposed to be full of danger and jeopardy. Scenery of scorching deserted lands is going to replace the one of tough montane passes, and the heat and sand is going to challenge our expedition all through Southern and Eastern Gobi until the very border of China.
Mongolia: savage not only in our memories from the history and geography classes where we learned about wild riders, horse herds and camel lines, deserts and sandstorms, yurts and Buddhist temples; Mongolia is still all that nowadays. Already before, when telling about the other former nomad countries, words like Genghiz Khan, Golden Horde, Khanate appeared in the context, and Mongolia is exactly the country to mention with all of these terms since they all are coming right from here. This is where bellicose tribes that succeeded to defeat and rule over Asia and Eastern Europe lived; this is where in 1162, next to the river Onon the cruel conqueror and emperor Temujin, also known as Genghiz Khan, was born. He was buried in the riverhead of Urgun in 1227 and, according to the legend, the funeral escort killed anyone and anything across their path, to conceal the location of his grave. In its zenith, during the rule of Genghiz Khan, the Mongol Empire stretched from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean, and it has been the greatest empire in the world that has ever existed.
However, as all the empires, it was ruined by its own inner disorders and due to this, inability to control its own borders. Already damaged by rebellions in the territory conquered from China, later Mongolia got trampled between two other great countries: China and Russia and had to follow their political patterns. After 1917, just like its two dominant neighbors, Mongolia was a communistic country. Having lived through vast repressions, change of the political regime and years of bad economic planning, intensified by severe winters, Mongolia could not get back to its feet even after the fall of the communism. Life level is still very low here. Unlike other nomad tribes descendants that were mentioned before and that have been urbanized almost completely, Mongols are still following shepherds living pattern. Following goat, sheep and camel herds, they are moving around the huge meadows and even deserts of the country, spending their nights in white wool tents. The traditional rules of interior are always strictly followed and passed from generation to generation: the entry layout, the location of the religious stuff and family valuables, the place for the elder. Along with the other traditions, ancient huumi shaman chant has survived. Huumi is a special vocal technique, a throat-singing, when one performer is able to maintain several lines simultaneously.
By the way, Mongolia is not only recognizable by its low economic level and still actual ancestral customs but also basically untouched nature and vast biodiversity. There are many national parks, and Har Us Nuur Lake that our expedition is going to pass by, among them. This is one of the permanent lakes in Mongolia; however there are many temporary ones resulting from rains and drying up again. Rare bird species are nesting at the local meadows and the lakes are full with huge fishes since Mongols are not too fond of fishing, giving preference to the meat and sour milk products we are already familiar with.
From the point of view of modern geography the most significant part of the road is surmounting the Gobi Altay and crossing the Gobi desert. This desert is one of the greatest in the world; with its size of 1.5 millions square kilometers it is comparable with the area of Alaska. The word “gobi” means “empty waterless place” in Mongol and this is where in more the 1, 600 kilometers long distance the main battle of man and technology against nature will take place. No other task of the expedition could compare to this endurance test.
The Gobi Desert is very different from the other deserts in the world. Its landscapes are different, besides, they are varying among themselves: there we see sand desert, there goes stone desert, there again clay desert. Its fauna is different: too vivid and varied, with several endemic species, such as jeyrans and Gobi bears. Its history is mystical: allegedly, this is centre of civilization, centre of cultural source of all the races and secret land of the world rulers who have escaped the downfall of former civilization. In the year 500 before Christ, a Chinese traveler has written of Gobi desert as of “…full of demons and torrid winds that attack humans and animals and kill everyone on their way, and the only landmarks here are bones of dead humans and beasts.” Other wanderers describe Gobi very romantically, especially emphasizing its breathtaking sunrises and starry skies.
However, even the most deserted places on Earth are not staying unvisited: number of guests, both scientists and tourists, is growing from year to year. In autumn the weather becomes rather unfavorable for expeditors: severe cold winds begin to blow, first frosts and probably even snow in the mountain-passes are expected during the nights. Probably, there is better weather in Northern China but even if not, Beijing is definitely offering some accommodations and human presence, maybe sometimes even excessive. And this is going to be our next stop if our expedition is solving the China border problem.
Elizabete Neimiseva for enduroadventure.lv
Photos from http://www.mongoliatrekking.com